Overview

This chapter provides an overview of the Financial System Inquiry’s Final Report. It sets out the Inquiry’s starting point for considering how the financial system can meet Australia’s evolving needs and support sustainable economic growth. This includes outlining the Australian context in which the Inquiry has made its recommendations, the characteristics of a well-functioning financial system and the Inquiry’s philosophy of financial regulation. This chapter discusses the two general themes that permeate much of the Inquiry’s thinking: the effectiveness of the financial system in funding the economy and the importance of competition in the financial system. It also provides a brief summary of the five specific themes detailed in the remaining chapters of this report.